COLLABORATION

The dictionary defines “collaboration” as the act of working together with one or more people to achieve (build) something. The goal of Tofel Construction LLC is a successful collaborative effort with a developer client.

A general contractor can make the path a developer takes a super highway or a deeply rutted dirt road. Planning a development has many variables such as zoning, financing, market conditions, and construction costs. You want the contractor to be an integral part of your team by providing you with realistic, accurate, and timely cost estimates from the onset of project planning to the completion of construction. Last minute surprises in the form of cost increases come at the worst possible time when you, as the developer, have already committed time, energy, and risk capital to a project that appeared to be economically feasible. Taking the approach of competitively bidding the project can also result in similar problems. Sometimes the low bid isn’t the low bid. Design deficiencies may not show up when a host of contractors bid “to Plans and Specifications.” The low bidder may know that there will be plenty of change orders that will allow him to recoup profits lost winning the job. This may be good for the contractor, but it is most assuredly bad for the developer.

Tofel Construction is a general contractor born of developers who wanted to find a builder with whom they could develop a long-term, trusting relationship. T.A. Construction Company, Inc. was formed in 1984 to meet the construction requirements of its founders, who were commercial and residential real estate developers. Performing construction services on their own behalf resulted in a full understanding of the needs of the developer and laid the foundation for removing what is sometimes an adversarial relationship from the builder-owner equation. The name was changed in 2004 to Tofel Construction.

This, then, formed the basis for how Tofel Construction works with developers, as their pseudo partner and collaborator during both the planning and building phases of the project. With first-hand development experience, the Company provides a deep understanding of the overall scope of a project. We integrate the needs of the owner/developer into a solution for the entire undertaking. We understand optimizing land use, financing, marketing, and, of course, construction requirements. This inherent empathy for our client's positions and priorities, augmented by continual review of ongoing work in progress, ensures a successful and timely conclusion.

Assisting owners in finding the most efficient and effective way to get the job done includes the following:

Site Selection
We can assist in the final site selection enabling the inclusion of on-site and off-site improvement costs to be included into the overall site evaluation.

Value Engineering
This is perhaps the most important service Tofel Construction can provide during the planning and design phase of a project. Finding more efficient ways to accomplish a design goal without compromising the integrity of the project is like found money. We are very strong in assisting our customers in the development of projects that provide high value. This process, often referred to as “value engineering,” is pursued by us with the objective of producing lower costs while not effecting the “form, purpose, or function” of the project.

On Time, On Budget
These are the principal goals of Tofel Construction once the job has started. These goals are met through meticulous analysis of the project plans and establishment of the construction schedule. This results in fewer surprises as construction progresses and provides a benchmark against which progress can be measured. Our business is founded on relationships, both with our customers and our subcontractors. The backbone of these relationships is trust, which is supported by high principals, integrity and, of course, our past record.

The inevitable outcome of this process has been a steady growth in repeat and referral business. This, in turn, has resulted in a high percentage of Tofel Construction’s business being negotiated work, involving the close customer support from project inception right through completion. Additionally, we are able to provide sufficient bonding to support this growth.

The company has demonstrated success in many areas, including medical and professional offices, commercial, industrial, custom homes and a particular emphasis on multi-family residential.

Tofel Construction, and our joint venture predecessor entities, has successfully completed many market rate and affordable multi-family projects including those funded by HUD grants, tax credits and discretionary City and County Block Grants. We’ve studied the most efficient way to build multi-family projects. For example, when we complete the framing of the first units, we provide the owner and architect another opportunity to see how they will layout. Locations of windows, cabinets, appliances, electrical outlets and switches, and door swings can be seen for the first time in full scale. If changes are required, they can be made during this early construction period when the cost is either very low or nothing. In this way, all parties know what is expected at the outset and costly, time delaying changes can be minimized later in the project.